Augmentative releases of two Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) populations lines under field-cage conditions to control Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae)

BUONOCORE BIANCHERI, MARÍA JOSEFINA; LORENA SUAREZ; DANIEL S. KIRSCHBAUM; OVRUSKI S. M.

NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOC BRASIL

Lugar: BRASIL; Año: 2022

1519-566X

Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), known as Medfly, is a severeagricultural invasive pest in Argentinian fruit-producing regions. The native habitatdisturbance, and introduction and spread of exotic host plants strongly favored Medflyproliferation. This scenario is common throughout the northern subtropical citrusgrowing region. Environmentally friendly strategies to suppress Medfly populations bythe National Fruit Fly Control and Eradication Program have currently been taken. Oneof these actions involves augmentative biological control through releases of the exoticparasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).Consequently, the hypothesis that the effectiveness of D. longicaudata females, fromtwo different population lines, in controlling Medfly larvae progressively increases asthe density of released females increases was tested. One parasitoid line derives fromlarvae of a biparental Medfly strain. The other hails from irradiated larvae of the geneticsexing Temperature Sensitive Lethal Vienna-8 medfly strain reared at the ?BioPlantaSan Juan? biofactory. Parasitoids foraged for 24 h on peaches artificially inoculatedwith naked lab-reared biparental Medfly larvae. Peaches were placed near to roof oron the ground in field-cages. Five treatments (20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 femalesreleased) and a control (no parasitoids) for each population line were carried outthroughout summer and autumn 2016. Host density (200 larvae) remained constant. At320 released parasitoid females, both D. longicaudata population lines highlyincreased the Medfly mortality in both testing seasons, and foraged skillfully onpeaches at both fruit height levels. These data encourage the application ofaugmentative biological control against Medfly.